


Waking Up

by synthphobia



Category: Jaws (Movies), Jaws - Peter Benchley
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, M/M, Mentions of Suicide, Romance, Trauma Sharing, brody's there but he's asleep the whole time, quint has PTSD, very mild sexual content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:34:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27966140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/synthphobia/pseuds/synthphobia
Summary: “What are you doing out here anyway?” Hooper added.Quint was silent for a long time, long enough that Hooper almost started to wonder whether he had heard him or not. Then the older man threw Hooper a curveball that caught him completely off guard.“Sometimes I wonder that m’self,” Quint said quietly, almost to himself, his gaze fixed on some point on the horizon.(A missing scene from Jaws that takes place after the night scene aboard the boat.)
Relationships: Matt Hooper/Quint
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	Waking Up

**Author's Note:**

> i'm not a writer pls forgive me if this is ooc lmao. i just love quint and hooper as a pairing so much i was desperate for more content of them. i had to look up boat anatomy for this
> 
> A FEW NOTES ABOUT THIS FIC:  
> \- the date of the indianapolis sinking in this is the ACTUAL date it sunk (july 30th, 1945) not the date that was in the movie for some reason  
> \- this fic takes place between quint's indianapolis speech and the following scene the next morning, so pretend that the speech happened earlier in the night  
> \- hooper actually does have an older brother in the jaws novel tho he's never mentioned in the movie. i just killed him off here for angst lol
> 
> i think that's it hope you guys enjoy!!! kudos and comments are very much appreciated ;u;

Hooper blinked open his eyes, the hazy blanket of sleep slowly starting to fade from his brain. It took him a second to register where he was in the darkness of the night, but as soon as he did he felt a wave of despondent frustration wash over him. He awoke to the sound of soft waves lazily hitting the sides of the _Orca_ , the boat creaking as it drifted along. It was the trio’s first night aboard the ship during their shark hunt.

Though he couldn’t remember much of earlier that night, Hooper concluded from the dull pounding in his head that he must have had quite a bit of alcohol. His apparent hangover and remaining drowsiness prevented any of the previous day’s memories from clearly reforming in his head, and quickly concluded that was probably for the better. He also realized that he must have been in a pretty deep sleep, since he managed to not have not rolled off the cabin’s padded benches onto the floor while he was sleeping. He heard Brody snoring from where he lay on the hammock, and faintly remembered that he had drawn the shortest straw on sleeping arrangements. The chief had the luxury of claiming the only thing vaguely resembling a bed aboard the ship.

“ _Lucky bastard_ ,” Hooper thought to himself as he sat up, back aching from the uncomfortable seats.

Stretching the stiffness in his arms out, he attempted to read the time on his watch in what little moonlight was filtering through the cabin’s windows, but it was still too dark to see. Hooper slumped against the backboard of the benches and sighed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He picked up his glasses from the ledge at the top of the booth where he had sat them, blinking a few times to see if his eyes would adjust. It was then Hooper realized that one of their party was missing. 

Quint had resigned himself to sleeping sitting up in the booth next to Hooper, but when he looked around the cabin he found no trace of the older fisherman. Hooper felt panic shoot through him for a split second that Quint might have abandoned them here to die on this ship, before rationalizing just how unlikely that would be. It’s not like Quint had any means of escaping anyway. Needing to stretch his legs out, Hooper figured he would find out what Quint was up to. He quietly slid out of the booth, careful not to wake Brody, and slipped out of the cabin doorway onto the deck.

It was vaguely lighter outside under the stars than it was in the cabin. Hooper took a few steps towards the end of the stern, tentatively treading as to not trip on anything in the darkness. He hypothesized that Quint had probably come outside to sleep in his fishing chair instead, but as he approached it he was surprised to find it empty. Placing a hand on the chair back to steady himself, Hooper looked up towards the ship’s steering wheel. There was no silhouette outlined against the stars from what he could tell. No one perched on the mast either. Assuming Quint would be in the last place he thought to look, Hooper stepped towards the edge of the _Orca_ and peered around the cabin at the front of the boat. Sure enough, Quint stood at the end of the pulpit with his back to Hooper, leaning against the railing. 

_“Awful lot of trouble just to go stargazing,”_ Hooper remarked to himself. He glanced back into the dark cabin of the boat. Every part of his body ached from their previous day’s hunt. Tomorrow would be just as bad, if not worse, and he wanted nothing more than a good night’s rest to prepare for it. But for some reason Hooper just couldn’t bring himself to go back inside. He felt a pang of— _guilt?_ —at the thought of leaving Quint by himself out here. The older man hadn’t even noticed him yet, and Hooper knew he’d be perfectly fine alone. It was Quint’s decision to come out here alone in the first place. But Hooper found himself stepping atop the gunwale before he could weigh his decisions, and cautiously edged along the narrow step way to the bow of the ship.

When he had reached the front half of the boat, Hooper carefully stepped off the gunwale and onto the front deck of the _Orca_. If Quint had noticed his approach by now he hadn’t given any sign that he had. Hooper figured it would’ve been better to announce his arrival rather than sneak up on him. Taking a few tentative steps forward he quickly tried to think of some way to break the ice.

“See any good sharks lately?” Hooper blurted out, cutting through the once cozy silence. _“Alright, stupid, but at least he knows I’m here now,”_ he chastised himself internally.

“Jesus H. Christ, Hooper. Don’t be sneakin’ up on me like that,” Quint jumped a bit at the sound of the younger man’s voice. 

Hooper snickered while he made his way up the deck and towards the pulpit, “Tried not to.”

“Well try harder next time,” Quint turned along the railing slightly so that his back was no longer towards Hooper. His voice was stern but Hooper could see as he got closer a certain amusement on Quint’s face. 

Hooper suddenly stopped as soon as he stepped up on the plank. It didn’t even occur to him that he might have been intruding on some kind of silent vigil. 

“Mind if I join you?” he asked after a pause, hoping that he didn’t sound too nervous. Quint made a noncommittal grunt and gave a slight nod of his head. Hooper took that as a “sure” and walked further out onto the pulpit to stand next to the shark hunter. 

Hooper placed his hands on the cold metal railing and gazed out onto the sea. It stretched out before them like an endless void, ready to swallow them whole. The waves were calm, but the sheer vastness of the watery landscape was enough to instill dread if pondered over for too long. The sky was clear and the moon shone brightly above them, turning the water into an inky raven-tinted black. On the distant horizon Hooper could see the faint glow from the houses of Amity, mere fireflies above the darkness of the sea. He spent a few minutes just relishing the chill of the salty breeze on his skin as the boat drifted lazily along. It was a perfect night. He only wished he could go diving.

Quint had been silent since Hooper had joined him on the pulpit. Hooper was starting to feel awkward, struggling to come up with something to say and debating whether he should say anything at all. The grizzled shark hunter intimidated him enough for the silence to not feel “comfortable”. With Brody he felt comfortable, like he could spend hours with the guy just in silence, neither one feeling like they had to make conversation. But with Quint, silence seemed out of the ordinary enough to almost feel unnatural. Quint talked and he talked often, and Hooper had learned to stay on his toes whenever he did, ready to make a snappy remark or leap to his own defense in case the older man came at his neck. Hooper thought Quint would’ve at least lapsed into singing a few verses of “Spanish Ladies” by now.

Hooper was starting to feel almost fidgety, and readied himself to make some kind of excuse as to why he had come out on deck, stood there for a few minutes, and then left without saying anything. He finally settled on some half-assed parting words and opened his mouth to speak when Quint beat him to the punch.

“You don’t have to stay out here with me all night, Hooper. Go get some rest. You’ll need it fer tomorrow,” he said without looking at Hooper. The younger man turned his head to look at him. 

“I could say the same thing to you,” Hooper replied, hoping that he didn’t sound too defensive. He did mean it sincerely, he just hoped Quint would receive it that way. “What are you doing out here anyway?” he added.

Quint was silent for a long time, long enough that Hooper almost started to wonder whether he had heard him or not. Then the older man threw Hooper a curveball that caught him completely off guard.

“Sometimes I wonder that m’self,” Quint said quietly, almost to himself, his gaze fixed on some point on the horizon.

Hooper blinked, stunned. He hadn’t expected such a loaded answer to what he thought was a simple question. He was even less prepared for such a genuine response from Quint.

“What do you mean?” Hooper pressed before he thought to stop himself.

Quint exhaled a long, slow sigh. Hooper suddenly noticed just how tired Quint looked. He wondered if the man had even slept at all before coming outside. 

“I mean what’s it all for,” Quint continued, “Comin’ out here, riskin’ my life every day huntin’ these sharks. I could make just fine a-livin’ doin’ anything else. But instead I’m out here chasing down bastards like this one,” Quint broke his gaze from the horizon and glanced around at the water below them, as if expecting to see the shark they had been hunting for the past day.

“And for what?” Quint half-scoffed, half-chuckled, “So I can feel like I’ve fulfilled somethin’? Gotten my revenge? _Closure?”_ he almost spat the last word out. “Well I’ll tell you one thing Hooper, it’s been thirty damn years and I still haven’t found it. Nearly thirty years exactly, and I thought it’d be easy by now. But every time I come out on this boat I think about it, and I think about what the hell I’m doin’ this for.”

It took a minute for the pieces to click in Hooper’s brain. Sleep had prevented the memories of earlier that night from being fresh in his mind, but the sudden realization of what Quint was talking about hit him like a freight train.

“The _Indianapolis_ ,” Hooper said quietly, “It’s the anniversary, isn’t it?”

Quint turned his head and looked directly in Hooper’s eyes for the first time since he’d come outside. The mix of sadness, fear, and bitterness he saw in Quint’s eyes made Hooper’s heart ache. 

“In a few weeks,” Quint replied solemnly, “July the 30th. And not a day goes by where I don’t think about it in some form or another. Sometimes I don’t believe I’ll ever be able to stop thinkin’ about it.” 

Hooper was at a loss for words. Quint’s retelling of the story while the three of them sat in the _Orca’s_ cabin was enough to sober Hooper up at the time, but now that he was aware of just how much it haunted Quint, and how close it was to the anniversary of the Naval ship’s sinking, it seemed so much more real. Hooper had never been through anything as traumatic as that incident, but he felt a kind of sympathy towards the old shark hunter that he wasn’t sure he had ever felt towards anyone before. However, he also felt drastically unequipped to handle this situation, and was unsure of what to say or do next.

Quint continued his venting, “There was a fella I knew who’d been one of the ones rescued. After the war was over and things started goin’ back to normal again, I kept in contact with him a few times over the years. He seemed to have been doin’ all right, doin’ better than a few others I knew that survived. Then about 11 years ago, I got a call from his wife out of the blue tellin’ me that she’d found him dead in their bedroom, bullet wound to the head. They didn’t find any evidence that someone else had killed him.”

Quint paused and sighed, as if getting the words out had physically pained him. Then he smirked, a small gesture of morbid nihilism.

“Sometimes I used to wonder if I’d end up the same as him.”

That made Hooper’s protective instincts kick in. “Quint, don’t say that,” he said quietly.

The older man seemed to come down a bit from his existential haze, and he glanced over at his companion. 

“I’m sorry, Hooper. You’ve got enough to worry about with us bein’ out here, you don’t need my issues on top of it all.”

Quint’s apology surprised Hooper. After all of their conflicts the previous day, he had settled on the conclusion that the older man didn’t know what the word “sorry” meant. But Quint’s genuine show of vulnerability just now made all of their squabbles feel irrelevant, and he almost felt guilty for acting so childish before. It made Hooper feel instantly more drawn to the shark hunter, and took it as a sign that Quint really did trust him to some degree.

Hooper’s empathy had kicked into action then.

“Your issues are important too,” he said after a brief moment of preparing his thoughts. “I know I can’t offer much advice but… I do know that you deserve to have closure. Whether or not you find it hunting sharks, well, I can’t really say. Maybe this one will be the one to finally give it to you, who knows. But don’t think that you won’t ever find closure. Life can change—“ Hooper snapped his fingers, “—just like that. The good thing about it is that you can bring that change yourself, if you want to. It’s not too late for your life to turn around, you can still find the peace that you deserve. Just don’t give up on looking for it. And hey, you have us here too. You don’t have to do this alone. I’ll—“ he stopped. A part of him desperately wanted to finish the thought with “—be here with you”. Instead he held back, “We’ll help you.”

Quint’s gaze remained fixed on the horizon as Hooper gave his sincerities. When the younger man had finished, Quint smiled and dropped his head down, as if trying to hide it.

“I know it’s, um, not exactly the same as what you went through,” Hooper continued again, “But about 6 years ago, my older brother died.” He paused, mentally preparing himself to dig up this part of his past.

“It was completely out of nowhere. Car accident. He and his wife were both killed. Obviously it tore our family up. My parents had lost their first child and I had lost the only brother I had ever known. My life completely sucked for the next 2 years after that. I thought I’d never get over it. Like my life would never go back to normal. It seemed like no matter how much progress I thought I had made in getting over it, it only took one small thing for it to all come crashing down.” 

Hooper paused again and sighed, “There were times where I had wished that it had been me instead of him, too.”

This made Quint look over at his companion again. His expression was still weary, but there was a kind of concern in his eyes, a tenderness that Hooper had never seen before.

“But, eventually,” Hooper continued, “I was able to move on from it. It’s still a permanent scar on my conscious that will never really heal right but, it doesn’t fuck me up as much now as it used to. I eventually managed to convince myself to keep going, that I couldn’t let this ruin me for the rest of my life. Over time it became easier and easier to deal with, to the point where I can talk about it freely now without breaking down into hysterics,” Hooper chuckled on the last sentence. “My point is, no matter how hard things seem, there’s always hope for recovery. I know thirty years is a lot longer than two, but it happens at different speeds for everybody. You’ll get there someday, I know it.”

Quint turned his head away, trying to hide another smile. He placed his hand on Hooper’s arm and gave it a gentle squeeze, just like he had done earlier that night while they were all gathered around the cabin table. It made Hooper feel safe, in a way.

“Thanks, Hoop,” Quint mumbled. Hooper smiled and laid his hand on top of the other man’s. 

“Any time,” he said softly.

Hooper had expected Quint to pull his hand away from where it rested on his arm at some point, but the moment never came. They stood like that for a while. Silent, connected through only a simple touch, but Hooper cherished it nonetheless. The two had been at each other’s throats nearly the whole time they had been out on their expedition, and Hooper was aware of the fact that if it weren’t for their shared love for the sea, they would almost certainly have nothing in common whatsoever. They came from different walks of life, had different ways in which they respected the ocean, and most of all had their own separate egos. But the clashing boldness contained within both of them went quiet if only for a little while. Their differences had momentarily vanished, and they stood tethered to each other like boats to a port in a storm. Hooper was unaware that the mere presence of him being there, and him even remotely giving a damn for that matter, meant more to Quint than anything else in that moment.

Hooper concluded he had to get Quint’s mind out of that depressive ditch while there was still a lull in their conversation. Searching for something to talk about that wasn’t trauma or sharks, he looked up at the night sky. It was the first time Hooper had really looked at the stars since he had come outside. It was a spectacle Hooper never got tired of seeing. It wasn’t long before a shooting star blazed across the dark sky, and he let out a sigh of wonder.

“Hey, there’s a meteor shower tonight,” Hooper said, his hand leaving its position over Quint’s to point up at the sky. This small movement turned out to be a mistake in Hooper’s mind, as Quint removed his grasp on Hooper’s arm as soon as he did it. The older man looked up at the sky as another meteor shot across the dark void a few moments later. Hooper seized this opportunity to lighten the mood.

“You know, you’re supposed to make a wish any time you see one of these things,” Hooper said, turning his head towards his companion. Quint glanced at Hooper questioningly, before breaking out into an amused grin.

“You don’t really believe in that stuff, do ya Hoop?” Quint asked. 

“Hey, you never know. One of these days something might happen,” Hooper smiled back at him. Then he turned his gaze back up at the stars.

“I wish…” Hooper started, pausing for dramatic effect, “That you won’t be haunted by the _Indianapolis_ anymore after we catch this shark.”

Quint stared at Hooper in astoundment, taken aback by his sentiment. It looked as if he was having a hard time even processing what Hooper had said to him. Then he grinned again, even wider this time.

“You’re not supposed to say it out loud or else it won’t come true.”

Hooper looked at him in amused accusation, “I thought you didn’t believe in that stuff.”

“Never said I didn’t,” Quint added, chuckling. Hooper laughed as another meteor cut across the sky above them.

“Okay fine, now you have to make a wish.” He pointed up at the sky again.

Quint paused, scrunching his face up to exaggerate deep thought. A minute passed before he spoke again.

“Alright, done.”

“What, you’re not gonna tell me?” Hooper asked.

“I told you, if ya say it out loud it won’t come true,” Quint straightened up from where he had been leaning on the ship’s railing.

“Alright fine, have it your way,” Hooper chuckled again. Quint laughed at that, a full on laugh that Hooper hadn’t heard since earlier that night. He started laughing along with the shark hunter, until both of them were just laughing at their own childishness. Hooper started to feel warm inside, like the affectionate heat he had felt from Quint’s grasp on his arm had spread throughout his entire body. It fired him up until he no longer feared the vulnerability that was holding him back before.

Hooper stood up and let go of the railing, rubbing the laughter tears from his eyes as he tried to catch his breath. It was at that moment that a particularly strong wave decided to crash against the ship. The boat tipped just slightly farther than it had been before, and Hooper temporarily lost his balance. He stumbled against Quint, who managed to catch him by the arms before he could lose his footing completely. Hooper instinctively grabbed onto Quint to prevent himself from falling, and the fire that was burning inside of him grew hotter like he had just poured gasoline on it. He prayed that it was too dark for Quint to see that he was blushing. The two made eye contact, and Hooper sputtered out an apology.

“Sh-shit Quint, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to- to-”

“Hooper,” The older man cut him off. Quint’s voice was quiet, gentle. Gentler than he thought was possible for him. Hooper realized Quint had still not let go of him, and he had not let go of Quint. He felt his knees getting weak, and contemplated throwing himself off the boat right then and there just to save himself from his whirlwind of emotions.

The two just stared at each other, saying nothing, before Hooper realized Quint was slowly leaning closer to him. The movement was barely detectable, subtle enough to make Hooper wonder if he was just imagining it. A thousand different thoughts raced through his head at light speed. He wasn’t sure if what he thought was happening, or what he wanted to happen for that matter, was happening at all. But in a split second decision, his brain decided to take the risk of him being right. His impulses pushed his rationality and doubts out of the way, and Hooper quickly leaned up to close the distance between them.

Quint’s mouth was warm, and he tasted like brandy and sea salt. The kiss was firm, as was Quint’s grip on his arms, but it held a certain gentleness that Hooper had not been expecting from the older man. He felt the warmth radiating off of Quint resonate with the heat that had been coursing through his own body, and he swore that the heat generated from the two of them connected could have set the entire ocean on fire. Hooper felt like time had been slowed down. He was disappointed to learn that was not the case when Quint suddenly pulled away from him. He opened his eyes which he hadn’t realized he had shut, and looked up into Quint’s.

The shark hunter just gazed back at Hooper and smiled, “Looks like my wish came true.”

It was then that Hooper felt himself tumbling over the edge, all sense of logic and rationality thrown out the window. He threw his arms around Quint’s neck and kissed him desperately. The slight force of Hooper’s body against his made Quint take a slight step backwards, his back pushing against the railing at the end of the pulpit. He let out a satisfied hum against Hooper’s mouth and shifted his grip on the younger man so that he could pull him closer. The two stayed like that for a while, kissing each other feverishly, both of them just relishing the physical presence of the other one. Hooper felt the rest of the world slip away. How late the hour was, Amity, the shark, the expedition, Brody snoring away in the cabin of the ship, all of it seemed irrelevant in that moment. The only sure and solid thing was Quint, his body underneath his and his lips against his own. That was all that mattered.

Eventually Hooper had to pull away to catch his breath. He was panting, face only inches away from Quint’s. The older man was just as out of breath as he was, a fact that made something in Hooper’s heart soar. He had managed to chip through Quint’s tough exterior, even if only just a little bit. Seeing the grizzled shark hunter come undone like this shot a surge of white hot adrenaline through Hooper. It boosted his ego even more to know that _he_ was the one responsible for the undoing. He let out another laugh, running his hands down Quint’s chest, his thumbs catching on the buttons of his half-open shirt. The two just held each other like that for a moment, trying to catch their breath.

Out of the corner of his eye Hooper caught a glimpse of another shooting star. A part of him half-wished that this moment would never end. But the comet reminded him of the question that was nagging on his mind. He wanted to ask Quint if his previous heartfelt statement was really true, but he was afraid he might ruin this perfect moment for both of them. Still, he wanted to have confirmation.

“Was your wish really to be able to kiss me?” Hooper asked softly, looking back into Quint’s eyes. Quint just blinked at him for a second, then smirked.

“I wished that you’d help me take my mind off things,” he started slowly. “And needless to say I think it worked.” 

Hooper just laughed and kissed him again. He felt on top of the world. The warmth he felt completely drowned out the chill from the night breeze. It was like heaven.

As Quint’s sentiment danced around in his mind, Hooper felt a spark of something else ignite within him. A brand new set of probably-bad ideas formed in his brain from the heat he’d already been feeling. He wasn’t sure if Quint would be on that wavelength, but the thought of him wanting it as much as he did made him willing to risk it. Still lacking any rational decision making skills, he decided to take a leap of faith.

Hooper leaned in close to Quint’s ear, his voice barely above a soft whisper, “I can help take your mind off things even more, you know.”

He drew back to see Quint’s reaction. The older man’s eyes just narrowed and he tilted his head, amused.

“Can you?” Quint asked with a grin, his tone just barely tiptoeing around straight up challenging Hooper.

“Mmhmm,” Hooper nodded once and smiled, quite sure of himself.

“Well, Mr. Hooper,” Quint’s voice lowered, dropping an octave and sending a small shiver down Hooper’s spine. Quint slowly leaned in closer to him, to where Hooper thought he would go in for another kiss, before he continued softly, “I’d take you up on your offer if I wasn’t so damn tired.”

Hooper let out another small laugh. In the midst of his euphoric haze he had forgotten just how late it was. He looked up at the sky and realized it seemed faintly lighter than how it was when he came outside. Suddenly his bone-tiredness had caught up with him, and the more carnal thoughts he was having started to fade. Hooper realized he just wanted to sleep more than anything else right now.

“Yeah, I guess it is pretty late. Kinda lost track of time for a moment,” Hooper smiled, looking back at Quint. He didn’t realize that the older man was still holding him, as Quint moved his arms from behind Hooper’s back to rest his hands on his shoulders.

“You oughta head back inside, get some sleep. Need to be on the top of your game tomorrow so we can catch this sonuva bitch,” Quint said, squeezing Hooper’s arms. 

Hooper sighed.

_Right._

In his euphoric state he had _also_ managed to blissfully forget about their current situation. The reminder just seemed to make him feel even more tired, and he prayed that there were still a few good hours of darkness left so he could catch up on the sleep he missed.

“Yeah alright,” Hooper said, failing to keep the disappointment out of his voice. He hesitated for a moment before reluctantly letting go of Quint. Hooper tried to savor the warm buzz of being so close to him while it lasted, before stepping back to make his way down the pulpit to the bow of the ship. He had only made it about 10 feet before he realized that Quint wasn’t following him. Puzzled, he turned back around to face him.

“Aren’t you coming? You need to sleep too you know,” Hooper said.

Quint had gone back to leaning on his hands on the railing and staring out onto the ocean. At Hooper’s question, he turned his head to face the younger man again.

“I’ll be in in a second. You just go on ahead,” Quint told him. Hooper figured he shouldn’t try to push it any further, and continued to head down the front of the boat.

“And Hooper—“

He whipped around again at the sound of Quint’s voice. He was facing Hooper now, leaning his hip against the railing and buttoning up his shirt.

“Don’t forget,” Quint continued in that lower tone of voice that made something inside Hooper stir, “You owe me one once we get back to shore.”

Hooper was still in close enough proximity to see that Quint winked at him after he finished speaking. He broke into a wicked grin.

“I hope you’re prepared to follow through with that,” Hooper teased back.

Quint just grinned wider and laughed. Hooper winked back at him before turning back around to cross the gunwale to the ship’s stern.

Hooper stepped down onto the back deck of the boat. His limbs felt more sore than they did when he came outside earlier. He stood in the doorway of the cabin, looking inside to make sure that Brody was still asleep. Sure enough, the Chief had been snoring away the whole time he was gone. Hooper envied him in that moment, and even though his midnight makeout session was the highlight of his entire week, he mourned the time lost that he could have spent sleeping.

Despite his tiredness, Hooper still hesitated to head back inside. He took a step back towards the gunwale, and peered around to the front of the boat to see if Quint had decided to come down yet. Hooper saw him slowly start to head down the pulpit, then stop to turn and gaze out over the dark water. Hooper thought Quint moved in such a way that made it look like he was parting ways with a loved one. It almost looked like he was reluctant to leave the sea behind, even though it would still be surrounding them when they woke up. Hooper couldn’t see Quint’s expression from that distance, but he knew he must’ve still been in somewhat of an emotional state. Hooper figured he shouldn’t wait on him just in case he decided to spend more time out on the deck, so he headed back inside the cabin at last. 

Inside the dark room, Hooper carefully slid back onto the booth where he had slept earlier. It had seemed uncomfortable then, but Hooper was so tired now that the firm benches almost felt heavenly. He placed his glasses back on the top ledge of the booth before settling down to sleep. Hooper closed his eyes and tried to let the _Orca’_ s gentle rocking ease his nerves about the coming day. It wasn’t long before he felt himself starting to drift away with the ship.

His mind barely awake, Hooper suddenly realized that he hadn't heard Quint come back into the cabin. He hoped Quint was still okay, and for a second wondered if he should’ve stayed out there with him. But he ran out of time to regret anything before he tumbled off the precipice of consciousness and into the clutches of sleep.


End file.
